Soy sauce is very healthy. It is believed that it significantly suspends the aging process of cells, and also improves blood circulation. It contains many amino acids and mineral elements. And its part glutamic acid clearly emphasizes the taste of dishes.

Soy sauce is special productnot like everyone else. It is the most versatile and easy to use. It can be used in almost any dish as a seasoning. Its main difference from other products made from soy is a piquant, rich taste, due to a special way of cooking.

It is ideally suited to vegetables, flour, fish, cereals and other dishes. And in the countries of the East it is used as an alternative to salt, and mushroom, shrimp and garlic sauce are prepared on its basis.

The question of how to use soy sauce is rather controversial. Some people add it to almost all dishes: salads, dumplings, boiled potatoes, rice, buckwheat, etc. It is not used unless in sweets or tea. Moreover, some dishes should be seasoned only with soy sauce, others with a mixture of it with oil or vinegar.

Soy sauce is dark and light. If you have not used it in cooking before, try a light sauce first, as it is more versatile. Dark sauce is best used for meat or dark dishes. It should be said that it is very saturated, so you need to add it to food carefully so as not to spoil the taste and appearance of the dish.

From soy sauce cooked famous teriyaki sauce. In addition to it, the composition of this sauce necessarily includes sugar, as well as wine, spices and some other ingredients. Teriyaki is used as a marinade for dishes of poultry, beef or fish before grilling them. Thanks to this sauce, dishes acquire an original taste and are covered with “glaze”.

Let's look at a few examples of how to make a delicious dish using soy sauce. Here is one interesting recipe. Chicken fillet must be cut into large cubes, onions - rings. They must be poured with soy sauce for 40 minutes, and then fry in a pan, covering it with a lid.

Add some carrots to the sauce and stew it. This dressing will emphasize the taste of pasta dishes. Thus, you can use soy sauce to cook two dishes at once.

The sauce can be added to fried rice. First, you need to boil it, then transfer it to the pan, add the fried green onions, a raw egg and mix all the ingredients. After a couple of minutes you need to add a spoonful of sauce, cover the pan with a lid and warm the dish for another 2-3 minutes.

You can also fry shrimp with soy sauce. A little garlic and ginger root should be added to this dish.

Another option is to bake salmon in a marinade of honey, soy sauce and finely chopped hot pepper. This dish is very tender and you will definitely like it.

Soy sauce has long been used in the culinary of Asian and Eastern countries, and recently it has been rapidly gaining popularity among our consumers. In addition to a rich taste and delicate aroma, the product is characterized by the content of components that are undoubtedly valuable for the body. It contains the lion's share of vitamins, essential elements and antioxidants that accelerate metabolic processes and prevent the development of many diseases.

Soy sauce can transform and emphasize the taste of any dish, but it must be used correctly for this.

The use of classic soy sauce in cooking

There are two varieties of soy sauce - light and dark, and if you plan the first acquaintance with this product, we recommend starting with a light sauce. Its taste is softer and more pleasant. Use light soy sauce as a dressing for salads, as well as flavor rice, pasta dishes or serve meat or fish dishes. Do not forget when adding soy sauce to familiar dishes that it is quite salty and salt foods when using it is not recommended at all or add salt to taste already during the meal.

The darker soy sauce, which is more saturated and concentrated to taste, is used for cooking and fish, served with sushi and rolls, and is also used as the basis for creating more complex sauces, such as teriyaki, mushroom, fish or shrimp.

How to make teriyaki sauce?

Ingredients:

• dark soy sauce - 110 ml;
• rice wine - 110 ml;
•   - 70 g;
• large garlic clove - 1 pc.;
• ground ginger - 15 g.

Cooking

1. To prepare teriyaki, grind the garlic in a mortar, peeled and squeezed through a press, then mix it with soy sauce, rice wine, ground ginger and honey and heat in a saucepan in a low heat until the latter dissolves.
2. After cooling down, we use teriyaki sauce as a marinade for cooking baked or fried meat, fish, poultry or seafood. You can also dress salads with this sauce, as well as add it to rice dishes or stewed vegetables.

Applying Teriyaki Soy Sauce to Meat - Recipes

It is amazingly delicious cooked with soy sauce chicken meat. We also recommend preparing pork in Shanghai - the inimitable taste of the resulting dish will cause the most pleasant emotions. And where without shrimps pickled and fried with soy sauce. For piquancy, add a little garlic and ginger. Below we will analyze in detail these three chic dishes.

Fried chicken with soy sauce and onions

Ingredients:

• chicken fillet (breast) - 540 g;
• soy Teriyaki Sauce - 80 ml;
• onions - 140 g;

Cooking

1. To prepare the dish, we chop the washed and dried chicken fillet in large cubes or cubes, and peeled the onions in half rings and pour in forty minutes with soy sauce.
2. If desired, you can add your favorite spices and spices.
3. Now we spread the chicken with onions in the sauce in a pan heated with oil and fry over high heat until the meat is ready and the onions are soft.

Shanghai style pork with soy sauce

Ingredients:

• pork (pulp) - 720 g;
• soy sauce - 120 ml;
• garlic teeth - 3-4 pcs.;
• granulated sugar or honey - 1 tbsp. spoon or to taste;
• seasonings and spicy spices - to choose from and to taste;
• odorless vegetable oil - 45 ml.

Cooking

1. To implement the recipe, we cut the pork into large pieces and boil them in water with spices for thirty minutes.
2. We spread the dried slices in hot oil and brown them over high heat.
3. Now pour the soy sauce in the pan, add sugar or honey, throw the chopped garlic, season the dish to taste with spices and stew the pork under the lid until soft and cooked, stirring occasionally.

Shrimp with Soy Sauce, Garlic and Ginger

We all know soy sauce; today it can be found in almost any store. But not so long ago, such a product was considered a rarity and delicacy. But in Japan they love, respect and regularly use it for a very, very long time. Is such a sauce useful? And how is it used?

A bit of history

Historians still argue about the homeland of soy sauce. But some believe that he appeared in China. Local monks were forced to abandon milk due to religious beliefs.

And they replaced dairy products with vegetable protein, that is, soy. Cheese was prepared from it, and later sauce. Then the recipe reached Japan, where it is used today. But in Europe, the sauce came in the XVII century (it was brought by Dutch sailors).

Today it simply does not appear without such a product. Soy sauce is added to almost every dish (except for desserts, of course). Rice is especially combined with it, but fish, meat and seafood are also served with this delicious and spicy sauce.

How is it cooked?

What is soy sauce made from? The traditional recipe is both simple and complex. First, soybeans are evaporated. Also for cooking, you need millet, which is fried. Then all this is mixed, poured with water and salt is added. The resulting mixture is transferred to special containers in which it will be stored and fermented.

Ideally, the fermentation process should last at least 1 year, only then the product will acquire a special rich and spicy taste. But since the demand for this product is very, very large, manufacturers often try to speed up the production process. After that, the liquid is cleaned and thoroughly filtered, and then bottled and sold.

So, to speed up the fermentation process, some add special bacteria to the mixture of fried wheat and boiled beans, which multiply and provoke a natural, but accelerated fermentation. In this case, the product cooks faster, after a month or two such a sauce can be consumed.

And if this method can still be called harmless, then some others are not. For example, some extremely unscrupulous manufacturers who prefer to chase for profit, boil the beans in sulfuric or hydrochloric acid, and then such a toxic broth is quenched with alkali.

The result is a wild mix that also goes on sale to stores. And also, to get more profit from the sale, some simply dilute soybean concentrate with water, and then add salt.

Useful and harmful properties

In general, soy sauce is quite useful, but only on condition that it is natural and made naturally without the addition of dyes, flavors or other artificial additives. The composition of the natural product includes amino acids, antioxidants, micro and macro elements, as well as vitamins.

The benefits of such a product are its following properties:

• The antioxidants contained here neutralize the negative effects of free radicals. So this product can be called an excellent means of cancer prevention.
• Also, the substances that make up the composition are necessary for the normal functioning of the immune system.
• With regular use, blood circulation improves significantly.
• Sauce is a fairly effective means of preventing cardiovascular disease.
• The components of such a product are able to strengthen the walls of blood vessels and protect against atherosclerosis.
• This product allows you to stimulate tissue regeneration and promotes rejuvenation.
• It contains protein, which is necessary for normal muscle function and the formation of almost all cells.
• The sauce can be consumed with diabetes.
• Useful sauce for insomnia, nervous disorders and stress.
• Such a product is also useful for those who decide to lose weight. the sauce is not so great (per 100 grams on average only 50-70 calories are consumed), and if you replace the sauce with it, you can make the dishes diet. So feel free to include the product in your diet if you are on a diet.

The harm of the sauce lies in the fact that it contains a fairly large amount of salt, which can lead to the deposition of salts and swelling. In addition, if the sauce is of poor quality, it may contain carcinogens (they provoke cancer), harmful and dangerous acids, as well as artificial additives. All this can harm the body.

How to choose?

How to choose soy sauce? Here are some things you should pay attention to:

• The product can only be stored in glass containers, so do not buy sauces in plastic bottles. Glass should be transparent.
• Examine the color of the fluid. It should not be cloudy and can vary from light brown to dark brown.
• Carefully study the composition of the product. It can only include components such as soybeans, wheat, salt and sugar. There should not be any other additives in a quality and natural sauce.
• How much is the sauce? You can find a bottle for 50 rubles, but such a product is unlikely to be of high quality. The cost of natural sauce varies from 200 to 400 rubles. Expensive, but you have to pay for quality.

How to use?

The use of soy sauce is wide and varied. Various sauces are prepared from it, with which you can season salad. The sauce can be served with rice, fish, meat, seafood. Many people like to eat shrimp with sauce. We offer several recipes.

Piquant wings

To make delicious wings in honey-soy sauce, prepare the following ingredients:

• 1 kilogram of chicken wings;
• 150-200 grams of soy sauce;
• 2-3 tablespoons of honey;
• 3-4 cloves of garlic.

Cooking method:

1. First make the marinade. To do this, mix the sauce with honey, add chopped garlic.
2. Ideally, marinate the wings in such a sauce for several hours (3-4), stirring occasionally.
3. Prepare a baking sheet. Lubricate its bottom with oil, lay out the wings.
4. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees, send a baking sheet there.
5. Cook the wings until they have a golden brown tint. During baking, you can turn the wings over (if they start to burn) and pour them with the sauce remaining after pickling.
6. Done! Bon Appetit.

Soy Sauce

Such meat is very tasty and piquant. Pork is best combined with sauce, so it is best to use it.

The ingredients you need:

• 500 grams of pork;
• 100 ml of soy sauce;
• 2 cloves of garlic;
• 1 tablespoon of starch;
• 1 pinch of ground;
• vegetable oil.

How to cook?

1. First, make a marinade. To do this, add starch to the sauce, stir it well so that not a single lump remains.
2. Then chop the garlic (on a garlic crush or in a blender), add to the sauce along with ginger.
3. The meat needs to be cut into slices, slightly beaten off.
4. Put the meat in the marinade, leave for an hour.
5. Fry the slices in vegetable oil for about 3 minutes on each side (until golden brown).
6. Transfer the meat to a baking sheet, pour the remaining marinade (you can also add seasonings and chopped greens to taste), send the oven to 15–20 minutes in a preheated 180-190 degrees oven.
7. Done, bon appetit!

Buy only high-quality sauce and add it to your favorite dishes, use it for cooking meat, fish and other products.

Soy sauce is not only an indispensable addition to rolls, but also the most important ingredient that helped Asian cuisine win love and reverence. In the XVIII century, Europe acquired not just a soy product, but an inexhaustible field for culinary activities. Salt is replaced with sauce; marinades for meat, fish, and vegetable dishes are prepared on its basis.

But what is an Asian ingredient and is it safe to introduce it into your daily diet?

general characteristics

Soy sauce is one of the most important components of Asian cuisine. It is created by fermenting soybeans. Some specific formulations include the addition of cereals.

Fermentation is the process of decomposition of organic substances under the influence of certain enzymes.

Soy fermentation is due to fungi of the genus Aspergillus (Aspergillus). This type of mushroom is important from the point of view of medicine and commerce. Enzymatic medicines, strong spirits like Japanese sake, miso pasta and soy sauce are prepared from them. Mushrooms are able to cover 99% of the world production of citric acid (about 1.4 million tons per year).

The ingredient is a dark thick liquid. Its distinctive feature is a sharp soy-salty smell. In the Asian culinary tradition, almost every dish is complemented by soy sauce. The component helps to reveal the taste of each ingredient, it is beneficial to emphasize it and put the right accents. Other cultures also liked salt sauce. It is used in minimal quantities as dressing. The product can emphasize the taste of any, even the most fresh dish, therefore it is introduced not only in fish / meat dishes, but also vegetable snacks, cereals.

History reference

The ingredient appeared in China in the VIII century BC. Later, soy sauce spread to the territory of East and Southeast Asia, then moved to Europe. In ancient China, fermented fish with a side dish of soybeans was especially popular. Gradually, the dish began to be diluted with ordinary water or other liquids in order to save and increase the volume of a serving. Thanks to such experiments, the dish was transformed into soy sauce.

The local population liked the product so much that they decided to sell and transport it abroad. In 1737, members of the Dutch East India Company witnessed the sale of 75 huge barrels of sauce. Transportation was made from the Japanese island of Dejima to Jakarta (Indonesia). Later 35 barrels went to the Netherlands.

In the XVIII century, with the light hand of the sunny king Louis XIV, Europe became acquainted with a strange ingredient. Louis XIV himself called the product “black gold” and loved to feast on spicy Asian dishes. The western recipe for soy sauce was offered by Isaac Titsing. He was a surgeon who represented the interests of the Dutch East India Company in relation to the feudal military government of Japan. Prior to Titsing, many sauce recipe publications were made, but Europe made its choice.

By the end of XIX century, the soybean component was displaced from the European market. In Europe, they were not able to learn the basics and characteristics of mushroom fermentation, so Chinese sauce became the new "black gold", and soybean continued to be exported from Asian countries.

Features of industrial production

There are two methods for the industrial production of soy sauce: fermentation and hydrolysis. Some companies use a combination of the two methods to increase production volume and speed.

Fermentation

A traditional soy product is prepared on the basis of a mixture of beans and mushroom grains. In Japan, both the fermenting mass and the leaven are designated by the single term “koji”. Previously, huge vats with fermenting mass were exposed in the sun. After the 20th century, they began to use special chambers in which the humidity level and temperature regime are automatically adjusted.

The traditional production of an ingredient takes months and consists of the following stages:

• soybeans are soaked and boiled in water until tender;
• wheat is fried and ground;
• crushed grain and boiled beans are combined, the spores of fungi and other beneficial microorganisms are sown on the mixture;
• the wheat-bean mixture is moistened with a solution of salt or simply sprinkled with salt;
• the mass is left to roam (the time interval can be from 40 days to 3 years);
• fermented porridge is placed under a press to separate liquid from solid waste;
• soy sauce is prepared from the liquid, and the soil is fertilized with oilcake or added to feed livestock;
• raw sauce is pasteurized (heated) so that the yeast and mold die;
• the pasteurized product is fermented, poured into the required container, and then sent to the point of sale.

Hydrolysis

Some companies refuse a long enzymatic method and choose hydrolysis. Soy protein is hydrolyzed by acids, after which a product similar in taste and composition is obtained. The cooking process takes no more than 3 days. The taste, texture and aroma of hydrolyzed sauce are different from the traditional. This difference can be noticed not only by a sophisticated gourmet, but also by an ordinary consumer. But hydrolysis increases the duration of the sale of the sauce and significantly saves the money of the manufacturer. Therefore, most of the store shelves are precisely hydrolyzed Asian food product.

During hydrolysis, carcinogenic substances can form in soy sauce. Responsibly choose the manufacturer and refuse daily use of the ingredient.

Useful component properties

Nutritionists claim that the properties of soy sauce are identical to soy. Soy is one of the few plant-based ingredients that can cover the need for protein. It concentrates a complete set of vital amino acids, a minimum concentration of saturated fatty acids and absolutely no cholesterol. It is proved that the use of soy sauce is a kind of prevention of cancer pathologies. Due to the high content of sodium (Na), the product can be an excellent alternative to ordinary table salt.

The concentration of antioxidants in soy sauce is 10 indicators higher than in red wine. What does it mean? Soybean food component actively stimulates blood circulation, reduces the risk of developing heart and vascular diseases.

Soy is rich in phytoestrogens - enzymes that have beneficial effects on the reproductive health of women. Herbal phytoestrogens help reduce menstrual pain and relieve symptoms of menopause. Also, the component strengthens the skeletal system, helps to form a high-quality muscle corset. Soy sauce reduces the risk of osteoporosis and heart disease to the lowest possible rate.

Another advantage of the ingredient is the target audience. The sauce can be introduced into the diet for people allergic to animal protein, obesity, pathologies of the cardiovascular system, chronic stool disorders and diabetes.

Harm and possible side effects

The main disadvantage of soy sauce is its high salt concentration. Even a perfectly healthy person should carefully monitor their own diet and avoid disharmonization. Nutritionists recommend that you do not use the ingredient in your daily diet, and if necessary be limited to 1-2 tablespoons.

Soy contains isoflavones. These are components whose composition is very similar to the female sex hormones estrogen. The woman’s body can in no way be affected by isoflavones, but the fetus developing in the womb is at risk. Substances can adversely affect the development of the brain of the embryo and cause many diseases and developmental disorders.

Excessive use of the component can cause allergies, rashes, skin itching, eczema, urticaria, and general health deterioration.

• diseases and malfunctions in the functionality of the kidneys;
• hypertension;
• an allergic reaction to the product;
• pregnancy (it is necessary to reduce the consumption of the ingredient to a minimum in order to avoid edema).

Cooking use

The average consumer adds sauce to each dish, with the exception of desserts and sweets. The piquant taste of the soy component is organically combined with all products, so there is no need to worry about the compatibility of the ingredients.

On the food stalls most often you can see 2 types of sauce - dark and light. They differ in fermentation time and taste. The dark ingredient is characterized by long exposure, clear sharp notes and a denser, thick consistency. This sauce is perfect for marinades and traditional Asian dishes. Light sauce is more salty and light, and notes of sweetness are clearly visible in the taste palette. It is ideal for dressing vegetable salads, meat / fish dishes, seafood and cereals.

Restaurants often do not serve soy sauce, but whipped foam from it. Airy foam conveys the spicy taste of the sauce from a whole new angle. It is softer, more sophisticated and gourmet. You can prepare the foam yourself. We will need:

• blender
• wide shallow capacity;
• hand blender;
• quality soy sauce.

Pour the sauce into the container, immerse the blender and try to find the desired angle. Turn the blender lightly until foam begins to stand out. Remove the air film and put on rolls, sushi, meat steak or your favorite side dish.

How to choose soy sauce

Food shelves are full of a variety of dense glass containers of various shapes and designs. The consumer began to carefully read the composition and ceased to trust the painted containers. Remember - 5 minutes of studying the composition are worth your health, so often refer to the tricky inscriptions on the back of the product.

The rules for choosing soy sauce are as simple as possible. The first thing you need to pay attention to is the point of implementation. Never buy spill sauce at a market or uncertified point of sale. You cannot be sure of the quality of the filling fluid, and it is not always possible to obtain a certificate from such sellers. Buy sauce only in trusted supermarkets that value their own reputation and monitor product safety.

The store shelves are full of goods from various manufacturers, but do not lose your head from such abundance. Quality sauce should be packed in a tight glass container. The walls of the container should be transparent and thick. Plastic containers are best avoided - they cannot preserve the aroma, taste, texture and composition of the product. Make sure that the cover is tightly screwed and there is additional protection against the external environment on the neck.

The next step is the information on the label. Remember: the simpler and shorter the composition, the better the product. The manufacturer must clearly indicate how the sauce is made. It is best to choose containers labeled "fermentation" or "natural fermentation." The composition should include such components:

• soya beans;
• wheat;
• salt;
• sugar (may be replaced or absent);
• vinegar (may or may not be replaced).

Products with an overloaded composition should immediately be sent back to the shelf. Preservatives, flavorings and other achievements of the industrial gastronomic industry must be eliminated immediately. A well-prepared soy sauce can be stored for several years without the help of auxiliary components. Their presence indicates the incompetence of the manufacturer and the desire to make money on your health. Take a look at the information on the energy value of the sauce - the protein concentration should not be lower than 8%.

The final step is to examine the fluid. It should be uniform and slightly dense. Turbid sauce indicates improper storage conditions or irresponsible transportation.

There are two types of natural soy sauce - light and dark. It takes a lot of time to cook it - from several months for a light sauce to two to three years for a dark sauce. Not only color, but also the palatability of soy sauce, and accordingly its use in cooking, depend on aging and fermentation time.

Dark soy sauce is a longer aging product, it has a thick consistency, a pronounced, rich aroma, but at the same time it is less salty than light-colored sauce. Dark sauce is used mainly as a seasoning for meat dishes and for the preparation of meat marinades. Light sauce does not have a characteristic aroma, it has a salty taste, lighter consistency and this makes it a great salad dressing. Its use in cooking is broader than that of dark sauce - the rich taste and dark color can spoil the appearance of the finished dish and its taste. Each of the two types of soy sauce is good in its own way, and it is desirable to have both sauces at home.

Most often, in cooking, soy sauce is used as the basis for the preparation of other famous sauces.   - shrimp, fish, mustard, mushroom. Additives are a variety of spices and spices - ginger, cinnamon, mustard, garlic, anise. Sesame oil, honey, tomato paste, lime and lemon juice, powdered sugar are added to soy sauce. Soy sauce can also act as an independent seasoning   to prepared dishes, for example, at the last moment it is added to chicken or meat cooked in a wok pan.

What can be cooked with soy sauce?   It is used as a marinade for cooking chicken fillet, pork or beef previously sliced \u200b\u200bin small narrow strips. The meat is marinated in soy sauce with the addition of wine and spices and then fried with onions, carrots and peppers. Soy sauce is mixed with ketchup, chicken wings or chicken stomachs are pickled in it (they need to be cleaned) and then fried over high heat or stewed with broth or water. If you add a little honey to the dark soy sauce, you get an excellent marinade for shrimp or salmon.

With the addition of soy sauce, the original Shanghai pork dish is prepared.   A piece of pork is boiled with seasonings, then fried over high heat to a dark brown crust and then stewed with the addition of soy sauce, sugar and garlic. For cooking duck, there is also a recipe for an unusual sauce. Soy sauce and vodka are added to the dill broth and duck is cooked in this broth. Soy sauce improves the taste of soups, it is recommended to add to mushroom and meat soups. Soy sauce will make the taste of familiar cabbage or bell pepper salads more spicy, it will tone the taste of fish cakes, various types of noodles.

Soy sauce is considered a fully balanced product that combines beneficial properties and excellent taste. Of course, if it is prepared in a natural way and from natural products. A surrogate product cannot be useful, it contains a minimum of natural components and a maximum of all kinds of chemical additives.